1. Field
Embodiments generally relate to updates in geographic location information for an electronic device.
2. Background
Many electronic devices include location-based service (LBS) applications, which allow a geographic location of the electronic device to be either displayed on the device or transmitted to a server device for access by another electronic device (e.g., third-party device). LBS applications can be used to identify and track the geographic location of electronic device users. For instance, LBS applications can enable the electronic device user to initiate a location request for the user's current geographic location, in which the electronic device serves as a Global Positioning System (GPS) terminal. The location of the electronic device user can also be determined based on, for example, Wi-Fi and Cell ID location methods. Also, LBS applications can transmit geographic location information for the electronic device to a server device, allowing a user of a third-party device to access and view the location of the electronic device user. The electronic device user can manually control the accuracy and details of the geographic location information viewed by third parties.
Various methods and techniques can be used to assess the geographic location of the electronic device user. For instance, a mobile phone with an embedded GPS can send position coordinates to a mobile network server such that other users of the mobile network server can view the geographic location of the mobile phone. In battery-operated electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and laptops), embedded hardware and software associated with LBS applications can consume a significant portion of the device's computing and battery resources. Moreover, as the frequency of location updates sent from the battery-operated electronic device to a centralized network server increases, the embedded hardware and software associated with LBS applications process the location updates more frequently, thus limiting computation and battery resources for other applications on the electronic device.
Methods and systems are needed to provide geographic location information for an electronic device, while conserving battery and computation resources of the electronic device.